Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A petition filed before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for an independent investigation into the Nigerian Army's handling of the case involving former Corporal Matilda Anighoro, who was allegedly demoted after she accused senior officers of sexual harassment, torture, and unlawful detention. The petition, which was submitted on Thursday, August 6, 2026, challenges the Army's official explanation for her reduction in rank, arguing that several military records directly contradict the claim that she was lawfully disciplined before her voluntary discharge from service.
Anighoro, who previously accused senior officers of sexual harassment, torture, and unlawful detention, told SaharaReporters that the development heightened her fears for her safety. The petitioner pointed to glaring inconsistencies in the Army's narrative, noting that while the Army Headquarters claimed she was reduced in rank from Corporal to Lance Corporal and subsequently to Private in February 2024, official records show that the Chief of Army Staff approved her Voluntary Discharge (Batch B 2024) in the rank of Corporal approximately seven months later. Additionally, she continued to receive the salary and allowances of a Corporal until January 2025, despite the Army's claim that she had already been reduced to the rank of Private.
The petitioner cited Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which guarantees every individual the right to a fair hearing before any decision affecting their civil rights and obligations can be taken. The petition also relied on the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, which requires disciplinary proceedings, findings, punishments, and awards to be lawfully conducted, properly documented, and verifiable. According to the petitioner, if such a significant punishment as reduction in rank had genuinely taken place, it ought to have been consistently reflected across all official military records.
The Directorate of Legal Services, Army Headquarters, in a letter dated June 24, 2026, had defended the Army's actions over Anighoro's retirement benefits, insisting that she was lawfully reduced in rank following disciplinary proceedings before her voluntary discharge from service. However, the petitioner challenged the Army Headquarters' position, arguing that official military records contradict the claim that Anighoro was demoted in February 2024. The petition called for the production of all records relating to the alleged disciplinary proceedings to establish the truth of the matter.
Anighoro's ordeal began when she raised an alarm over what she described as a plot by military authorities to arrest her, following a phone call she received from officials of the Army's Special Investigation Bureau (SIB). According to her, the caller invited her to Abuja for documentation related to her case, but she expressed suspicion over inconsistencies in the directive, noting that the location mentioned for documentation differed from where she was asked to report. The petition has now placed the spotlight on the Nigerian Army's internal disciplinary processes and the treatment of soldiers who report sexual harassment, raising broader questions about accountability and the protection of whistleblowers within the armed forces. As the NHRC considers the petition, the outcome of the investigation could have significant implications for military justice and the rights of female soldiers in Nigeria.
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